What would make great settings for computer games and TTRPGs?

These days I try to cast a wide net when it comes to finding inspiration for D&D and other gaming endeavors. It’s fun to look for cool ideas for plots and settings from many sources — some not so obvious.

During the height of pandemic-inspired TV binging and afterward, many people grew to know and love Roku City, as portrayed in the screensavers for Roku-enabled devices. The camera scrolls across a pleasant, generic 2D depiction of a high-rise New York City-inspired landscape that happens to be host to the collective events and denizens of more than a century of movie culture. There’s a lot going on in the background to see, and it certainly gives one some entertaining ideas for gaming.

Obviously, Roku City has robust defensive capabilities. It looks pristine despite invasions of domestic kaiju and alien overlords and various threats. My dream would be to see a game that chronicles the adventures of the Roku City Defense Corps, especially if giant mecha are involved. I’d love to see a 1980s comic book tie-in treatment, a la Atari Force.

Anothing thing that fascinates me is the ability of creatives to pack extensive world-building into what can essentially be throwaway content. Muse’s Knights of Cydonia is a 9-hour kung fu western space opera condensed into a five minute music video. It’s got everything. Cowboys! Lasers! Evil cyborgs! Unicorns! Planet of the Apes references! It’d be a fun setting for Trigun-style shenanigans or homages to B-movie take-offs of legendary Westerns.

Willy Wonka’s factory from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is another setting I’d love to see in game form. It’s practically infinite, full of incongruous horror, and would make a great megadungeon. And, the sequel to the book, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, inspired a plot device I’ve used repeatedly to bring new people into my D&D campaign when there’s no time to waste on anything but getting back to the fun. Cue The Girl from Ipanema.

What do you think would make a great setting for games? Let us know in the comments.